Her Last Breath
by Brackenmask
Summary: Life seem to be going well for him until his best friend, Gingerfrost, was killed by foxes. Though something doesn't make sense and Smokestorm can't rest until he discovers the truth about Gingerfrost's death. Warriors Murder Mystery! R&R please.
1. Murder

**Hello everyone! I've written this new story that's a murder mystery. I love murder mysteries so I tried crearting one involving warriors. There are many plot twists and surprises. Enjoy the story! **

"What do you mean that she's dead?" a voice cried. "She can't be… no, not her."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't save her." Another voice meowed, a bit softer than the other.

"Please… leave. I want to be alone." The first cat asked.

"Very well." The other cat mewed, then she trotted off.

A dark gray tabby tom sat next to the body of another cat. His deep green eyes were dull and clouded with grief. A light ginger's she-cat lay motionless on the ground, her fur matted with blood and her eyes stared into nothingness.

The two were in a dark den-like cave. The scent of herbs filled the den. The tabby tom kept staring at the dead she-cat, hoping she's raise her head and whisper comforting words into his ears. Though, he knew that he would never hear that sweet voice again. She was gone forever and that was it. She walked with StarClan now. There was an eerie silence, before it was broken be the voice of another.

"Smokestorm, I'm sorry about Gingerfrost. I shall miss her dearly, now is time for her vigil. Would you please bring her out into the clearing?" the young she-cat asked. Her fur glowed silver in the moonlight, though she was a light gray she-cat with blue eyes.

"Yes, Silverfeather." The dark tabby tom mewed to the medicine cat. He picked up the limp she-cat by her scruff and dragged her to the clearing. Other cats were gathering as he arrived into the clearing. Once he got to the center he gently lay Gingerfrost's head onto the ground and stepped back a few paces but kept a steady gaze at her body.

A larger brown tabby tom with many scars on his body approached the gray tabby. He sat down next to Smokestorm and shook his head in shame.

"Poor thing, she was so young too." The brown tom meowed. "I know you two were friends since kit hood. I'm so sorry, Smokestorm."

"Thank you, Dustclaw." The sad tom thanked the senior warrior politely. Everyone in the clan knew how close Smokestorm was to Gingerfrost. The two cats grew up together and now they were separated forever.

"You know, Smokestorm. When I lost my mate I was crushed. Life was never the same but I knew that she was watching over me in StarClan and I didn't feel so bad anymore. She's safe now, nothing can harm her up there." The old tom explained. "We live and we die. Gingerfrost just met death a bit too early. She was so beautiful and so passionate. Her loss is a great loss but we will manage."

All Smokestorm could do was nod. He didn't feel like saying anything else. He just want to stay silent and stare are his friend. He remembered all the times he had together and all the adventures they went on. He looked over at Dustclaw and flickered his eyes back and forth from Gingerfrost to Dustclaw.

"D-do you know h-how she…" he paused and gulped. "died?"

Dustclaw didn't say anything for a long time. Until finally he broke the long silence.

"I was with her, actually." The old tom's eyes started to swell. "We were on patrol with Grayfoot when two foxes attacked. They were hungry, very hungry. Their ribs were showing from under their skin and so they attacked. We tried fighting them off but they were too vicious." He paused. "Then I was knocked unconscious and when I woke up I found Gingerfrost barely breathing and Grayfoot gone. I figured the foxes dragged him away. I tried searching for him but I was worried that Gingerfrost would survive and I came back and took her to see Silverfeather."

Smokestorm looked down at his paws. All he could think about was her death. He never had a chance to say good-bye. How could he move forward with life? He couldn't let her go.

"I see." He mumbled to Dustclaw before leaving. He padded slowly towards Gingerfrost's body. Each step made his heart beat faster and faster. It was his turn to whisper his good-byes, but he didn't want to. He never wanted to say good-bye to her. But he realized he had to.

He was now standing in front of her body. He dug his nose into her flank and breathed in her sweet scent for the last time.

"Gingerfrost… You died too soon. I expected you to out-live Dustclaw. You were a beautiful cat and a great loss to our clan. You were my best friend." He licked her ear affectionately. "Hopefully I'll see you again one day."

He turned away and trotted to the warriors' den. Once he entered he laid down on a patch of moss and stared out the den. A cold breeze blew by, there were hardly any trees around them. This was WindClan after all. Smokestorm gazed into the clearing and slowly started to fall asleep. Before he knew it he was asleep.

Suddenly his eyes flew opened. Something wasn't right about Gingerfrost's death. Why did two hungry foxes only took Grayfoot and not Gingerfrost? According to Dustclaw, these foxes were starving and their ribs were showing. Something wasn't right.

"What really happened?" Smokestorm wondered. Was there a traitor in the clan? He needed to know what really happened.

Gingerfrost might have fallen into a trap set up by a traitor. He must know the truth.

**What did you think? Please leave a decent review, I love reviews and they always inspire me to write more stories! Let me know what you think I hope I made this story interesting. And sorry if there are any typos.. I didn't have time to re-read it. **

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it! 


	2. Suspicion

**I updated! The plot thickens... thanks for reviewing! Even though I only got two, but that's alright. It'll get more interesting as we get deeper into the plot. I love murder mysteries. Hopefully I didn't make this story too perdictable. I like twists and surprises :D** ----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chapter 2

Smokestorm padded back and forth furiously. Now he was irritated. He knew his best friend was murdered he just didn't know who killed her. Grayfoot was still missing, which made him suspicious that Dustclaw had something to do with this. But what was his motive?

He trotted over to the leader's den and saw his leader speaking with the deputy and a queen.

"Talonstar." He called his leader. He approached that large brown tom and sat next to the deputy, Stormtail. "I need to ask you a few questions." He mewed to the leader.

"Hold on, Smokestorm. Let me finish up my conversation with Poppyleaf." He meowed. The white queen next to him seemed very worried. Smokestorm was curious to know what was going on, so he kept his eyes focused on the queen.

Suddenly he felt a claw on his tail. He turned his head and saw two ice-cold blue eyes staring at him.

"Back off." Stormtail meowed, his voice was intimidating and deep. "Don't listen in on conversations." He spat. Smokestorm nodded, he looked away from the queen and leader but still strained his ears to listen.

"He's been missing for a whole day now!" Poppyleaf cried.

"There now, maybe he escaped from the foxes." Talonstar attempted to comfort the worried she-cat. "I'll send out a patrol in a few moments, alright?"

The she-cat nodded. Smokestorm turned is head and watched at the queen padded back to the nursery with her head down low. She was probably worried about Grayfoot. The two are mates and she is expecting kits soon.

"Yes, Smokestorm. What is it?" the leader mewed. Smokestorm almost forgot why he was there. Then he remembered.

"Where is Dustclaw?" the young tom asked quickly.

"Out on border patrol, why do you ask?"

"Umm… I need to ask you a few questions about Gingerfrost." He meowed. Talonstar nodded briskly and gestured a signal to Stormtail telling the deputy to leave. The gray tabby tom obeyed and left without any objections.

"Alright Smokestorm. I don't know what you want to ask me. We all know what happened to Gingerfrost." Talonstar looked down at his paws, saddened by Gingerfrost's death. "I know it's not easy for you, Smokestorm. It's not easy for any of us."

"I know…" he started to think about Gingerfrost again. "But… some things don't make sense. If there were two hungry foxes why did they only take Grayfoot?" he asked. "What if Dustclaw was lying? What if-" suddenly he was cut off by the leader.

"Are you questioning Dustclaw's loyalty?" The leader's amber eyes were blazing with fury. "Don't you dare say that, Smokestorm. I've known Dustclaw since I was young and he is not the type of cat to kill a fellow clan mate!" he snapped. "This is nonsense, leave at once. I have more important things to deal with."

Smokestorm said nothing more. He slowly backed away and headed out of camp. Maybe if he investigates and bring back proof then he'll be able to convince Talonclaw of his suspicions. As he was heading out he heard a whisper.

"Smokestorm…" the she-cat whispered. The tabby tom looked back and saw a white she-cat with a swollen stomach whispering to him from behind a bush.

"Poppyleaf?" he mewed. The young she-cat slowly emerged from a bush.

"Please, I beg of you to go find Grayfoot. I need to know what happened to him. I'd search for him but my kits are due anytime. I can't leave camp." She mewed. Her bright green eyes sparkled innocently under the sunlight. Smokestorm gave a quick nod before trotting off.

A little while later, Smokestorm arrived to the scene of the crime. It was a couple of old badger sets, a nice area for hunting. He sniffed the air and could smell a stale scent of foxes. He wrinkled his nose with disgust. Then he lifted his nose again and repeated sniffing the air, trying to pick up a scent of his fellow clan mates.

"The three warriors were here… but the foxes scent… Their scent is older and staler than Gingerfrost's scent. About a day or two older." Smokestorm couldn't believe it. Dustclaw was lying about the foxes!

Smokestorm suddenly spotted another cat run by. The young tom chased after the other feline. He was much faster and more agile than the other tom, finally he caught up and lunged at him. The om tumbled to the ground and froze in fear. Smokestorm had the other cat pinned down, his claws were digging into his skin. Suddenly Smokestorm's eyes widened and it felt like his heart had skipped a beat. It was as if he saw a ghost…

"Grayfoot?"

----------------------------------------------------------------- **Dun dun dun! A little twist... just little one. Find out what happens in the next chapter! I'd like to get some more reviews though, I like hearing other people's opinions. Should I make is more captivating? Exciting? What do you people think? Anyways, thank you for reading! **


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